Welding Fume Control

Ensure Welding Safety, Compliance & Cleaner Air in Your Workplace

Welding fumes contain hazardous particulate and gaseous substances that pose serious risks to worker health and productivity. At BOC and SPW, we provide fume reduction solutions to help you meet WHS and OSH standards, protect your workforce, and improve operational efficiency. BOC and SPW are your trusted partners in welding fume risk management.

Work Exposure Limits (WEL) are updated standards for airborne contaminants, developed from the Workplace Exposure Standards (WES) review. This review evaluated the health impacts of airborne contaminants (excluding asbestos) and recommended evidence-based updates to ensure the standards reflect current scientific research and best practices. There have been recent amendments to Workplace Exposure Standard (WES) for welding fumes. View link to Safe Work Australia.

What Are Welding Fumes?

Welding fumes are a mix of:

• Particulate Fumes: Metal oxides, organic materials from coatings or paints

• Gaseous Fumes: NOx, ozone (O₃), CO₂, CO, and organic vapours

Accurate measurement of welding fume is essential for assessing exposure and implementing effective controls.

How Welding Fumes Are Measured

Particulate Fume Measurement

• Personal Sampling: Measures exposure in the breathing zone (mg/m³)

• Laboratory Sampling: Swedish Fume Box testing under controlled conditions

Gaseous Fume Measurement

• Detector Tubes: Instant gas readings (ppm)

• Lab Analysis: Prevents interference between gas and particles

Testing Process

• Controlled Testing: Clean air, monitored welding, post-test cleansing

• Data Analysis: Results compared to exposure limits to guide safety actions

Welding Fume Safety: Applying the Hierarchy of Control

The Hierarchy of Control, endorsed by Safe Work Australia and WorkSafe New Zealand, ranks safety measures from most to least effective:

• Elimination – Remove the hazard entirely

• Substitution – Use low-fume gases and consumables

• Engineering/Technical Controls – Install fume extraction systems

• Administrative/Organisation Controls – Implement safe procedures and training

• PPE – Use certified welding helmets and respirators

Substitution: Reduce Fumes at the Source

• BOC Prevention Line of shielding gases 

• Diamond Spark  Guard 420 RC & MC, Low-fume wires

• Up to 75% FER reduction possible under controlled conditions (user experience may differ depending on circumstances)

• EWM controlled waveform power sources

Benefits:

• Lower overall fume exposure

• Lower manganese exposure

• Cleaner welds, less spatter

• Improved PPE and fume extraction performance

• Reduced cleanup and downtime

Engineering/Technical Controls: Fume Extraction Systems

• Binzel xFUME® extraction torches & mobile units

• Weldclass ALLCLEAR MA100 mobile fume extractors

• Automated welding with integrated fume capture using EWM controlled waveform power sources

These systems improve air quality 

Administrative/Organisation Controls: Training & Monitoring

• Welding safety training

• Job rotation strategies

• Fume exposure monitoring

• Compliance support for AU/NZ standards

PPE: Personal Protective Equipment

Final line of defence:

• 3M Speedglas G5-03 Adflo PAPR range

• CIGWELD Arcmaster Cyclone PAPR range

• Weldclass PROMAX 680R/850R

Complete Welding Safety Solutions

BOC and SPW provide everything you need:

• Welding Gas: Argoshield®, shielding gases, custom blends

• Welding Equipment: MIG, TIG, Stick, multi-process machines

• Welding PPE: Helmets, respirators, gloves, jackets

• Consumables: Low-fume wires, rods, fluxes

• Fume Extraction: Torches, mobile units, robotic integration

• Training & Compliance Support

Why Choose BOC?

Benefit	Impact
Protect Worker Health	Reduce exposure to toxic fumes
Ensure Compliance	Meet WHS and ISO standards
Improve Productivity	Healthier workers, fewer disruptions
Reduce Costs	Avoid fines and health-related claims

Downloads

Download Hierarchy of Control for Welding Fume Reduction Brochure